Yeah, I finally went through the novel from cover to cover and decided I had no more major issues to solve, had resolved most of the minor issues, and it all held together and “made sense”. So I submitted it to Baen Publishing.

A few minutes later I got an automated email from their submission system. It said they would get to my submission in “9-12 months”. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they followed that bit of information up with a note suggesting that I “use the time to work on my next novel.”

So now I’m supposed to wait 9-12 months to get a REJECTION?

I don’t think so. I just don’t see me waiting that long when I can get it on Kindle overnight.

I think I should consider hiring a professional editor for my novel. I think there’s some sort of proofreading and editorial blindness that I develop as I work on the book myself. I stop seeing simple things until I finally decide to send it to other people, then all of a sudden my critical eye returns.

So, I decided to re-read the book on my iPad mini as if it were a first reading. The good news is that I think the first 100 or so pages are not too bad, but somewhere around page 125 or so I resort to a bad habit of using passive voice. Now I see entire chapters that need to be edited to be more active.

Sigh, I don’t think it’s ever going to be done.

Jack said,

in October 17th, 2013 at 5:06 pm

Here’s a common saying about movies: “A film is never finished, it’s abandoned.”

Jack, one of the great lessons I’ve learned in my life is that I can read things, understand the words, understand the concepts, comprehend the context in every way, and STILL not know what it means.

Thus it is with the whole “a movie isn’t finished, it’s abandoned.”

Until I got to the point of actually thinking I was wrapping this book up, I truly had no idea what it actually meant.

Now I think I do. I am wondering if I can ever consider this thing done.

Jack said,

in October 17th, 2013 at 11:11 pm

CC, you probably never will consider it done but at some point you have to call it done, in essence “abandon” it, and move on.

You’ll notice every once in a while and older movie will resurface with a new director’s cut. Sometimes it’s because the director didn’t like the studio cut and finally got to release their version, and sometimes it’s because the director was never satisfied with it and got the chance to rework it. Sometimes there’s 3 or 4 cuts of a film floating around. Obviously someone wasn’t satisfied with it and kept making changes.

Since art is not math and there is no definitive right or wrong way to do it, you will always have doubts as to whether or not it’s good enough or “right”.

Writing a novel doesn’t cost anything but the writer’s time so I understand wanting to keep reworking it. Indie filmmaking doesn’t have that luxury. I am giving only so much money and time to do it. And that’s it. When it’s done, it’s done. Though it can be frustrating, it is a blessing. I can truly say, “well, given the parameters, this is the best I can do.” Then I can just move on to the next one. 🙂

Drax said,

in October 21st, 2013 at 7:16 pm

There is nothing so well written that it can’t be made better nor anything so perfectly composed that, with sufficient tinkering, it can’t be made worse.